Maybe He Knows What He's Doing

When the Broncos hired a relative unknown in Jason Griffin there was outrage expressed by fans, NFL insiders, coaches, columnists, even some in Griffin's family. Barack Obama mentioned him in a political speech. I chose not to be as reactionary, but to put trust in the instincts of Pat Bowlen, although my knee jerk reaction was to write a scathing column on the demise of the Broncos. After a 5-11 season in his first year, Griffin still had a very low approval rating. The Broncos couldn't run and Jay Cutler looked lost without Mike Shanahan. Dre Bly would have been cut if not for the $12 million cap hit it would have cost the team. He only had a Pro Bowl season & led the league with 9 interceptions. In the offseason Griffin traded Brandon Marshall and there was talk that Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams, Bly & Cutler were all up for grabs. None were moved despite being shopped. Griffin spent a combined $95 million on Nnamdi Asomugha, Chris Gamble, Terrell Suggs & Julius Peppers to try to re-energize the defense. They wrestled away the offseason championship from the Washington Redskins who have been irrelevant for the entire Dan Snyder regime. However, they did something opposite the Redskins. They stockpiled draft picks, not give them away. They counted on rookies, not just aging, overpaid veterans. Now they are 2-0 heading into their bye week having just destroyed the Chiefs 41-17. The outlook of this season looks great, but the future looks even brighter. The Broncos have 3 first round, 3 second round & 4 third round picks in next year's draft. Ozzie Jones looks like the answer at RB. Marshall hasn't been missed and Cutler is well, Cutler. We will learn a lot about Griffin & the Broncos this year. They have a four straight road games & then five straight home games to end the season. How will they fare with a team that isn't used to winning lately. We'll soon see. Bailey, for one, is a believer in his coach. "Jason understands the game & instills confidence in the players. I trust his decisions because I have seen how much work he puts into this," said Bailey. Good enough for me.

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Found It!!!
Broncos Discover Running Game in Rout

by Jeff Legwold

Kansas City -- Ozzie Jones has been compared to Barry Sanders so often he sometimes answers to the name. "I've heard it since high school and was fortunate enough to meet him at Oklahoma State. It's a lot to live up to, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying to be better than him," said Jones. On Sunday, Jones certainly looked just as good as Sanders rushing for 143 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Jones broke 13 tackles and rushed for 73 yards after contact. His breakout running game also assisted Jay Cutler in having a big game. Cutler was 16-24 244 yards and a touchdown. Although he played a good game it didn't start out well for Cutler. He threw a pick that was returned 100 yards for a TD by Patrick Surtain on the Broncos first drive. Head Coach Jason Griffin was pleased with the overall performance of the team. "Ozzie's play was big for us. He impacted not only this game, but he gave our future opponents an element that they have to prepare for, that we haven't had in my tenure here," said Griffin. The defense sacked Kurt Warner five times and rookie MLB Freddie Bates picked Warner off. The defense continued it's stout run defense and has now held it's first two opponents to 59 yards rushing in two games. "We had a hard time moving the ball. A ton of credit goes to their defense for that," said Chiefs coach Herm Edwards. Both teams have a bye week next week. The Chiefs will host the Ravens on Monday Sept. 28. The Broncos will host division rival Oakland on Sept. 27.

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Despite Sloppy 4th Quarter, Broncos Edge Ravens In OT

by Lindsay Jones

Baltimore -- Before Sunday's season opener Coach Jason Griffin said he wanted to see what thype of character and resolve his team had. After four plus quarters of football he may have his answer. After taking a commanding 26-7 lead into the fourth quarter, the Broncos surrendered 23 straight 4th quarter points before scoring a touchdown with 22 seconds left to force overtime. Denver had the only posession of the extra frame as they drove the ball down the field and set up Jason Elam's game-winning 35 yard field goal for a 33-30 victory. The Broncos had a uneven performance, but free agent acqusition Nnamdi Asomugha starred. Asomugha had 3 interceptions and returned one 55 yards for the games first points. Jay Cutler, on the other hand, did little to inspire confidence in Bronco fans as he matched Asomugha's 3 int's with 3 picks of his own. Cutler was responsible for a td pass and a 12 yard touchdown run at the end of the game that forced overtime. The running game was only able to produce 49 yards and continues to be a sore spot for the team. Rookie WR Naji Warner caught 6 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. He was among 8 different Broncos to record a reception. Defensively the Broncos dominated the first three quarters before falling apart in the 4th. Along with Asomugha's 3 picks, DE Julius Peppers forced and recovered a fumble. the Ravens were led by Kerry Collins 354 yards passing and 2 td's. Defensively safties Kenny Phillips (2) and Ed Reed (1) were able to intercept Cutler. As a team the ravens defense also sacked Cutler 5 times. "I have to do a better job of putting this team in positions to win and not make it harder than it has to be," said Cutler. The Ravens host the Browns next week, while the Broncos travel to Kansas City.

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